The 2005 incident
by Legionfan231
Summary: In 2005, in District Four, NYC, things are starting to get weirder the normal. And when the red alert sounds, you better make peace with your god and blow your own head off before something else does. Warning:violence, strong language, dark themes.
1. Prolouge

1314. That's when it all started. Or so the history books claim.

1314 was the date demons started cropping up. It's been pounded into our heads since we were kids; in 1314, our species sprang up in retaliation of the demons, ghosts and _fucking zombies_ that started popping up.

Our species has been deemed "Bloodmen" after the relentless Hunt.

We're based off of an island off the coast of Mexico; an island that, to this day, remains unknown to the majority of the world.

On that island, there are 15 towns, one school-known as the Unit- and exactly 219 farms.

Each town everywhere in the world is categorized into a "District", ranked by activity. District one, the most active demon-filled town in existence, is in Arlington, Virginia. Each District has a team of Bloodmen just _waiting _for a demon-ghost, ghoul, zombie, monster, whatever- to pop up.

And that's where things get messy.

We can't use guns; our current immortal leader, Eanne, banned them in 1917 after an assassination attempt. So, we're regulated to swords and knives and whatever the hell else we can find. In school, mentioned above as The Unit, we choose a weapon to specialize in. Which is pretty useful, because considering the only way to kill a zombie is decapitation and a gun won't cut it. Demons need to be burned or they'll reanimate.

So, now shit gets _weirder. _

Most humans that find out about the kind of sick world they live in immediately assume that werewolves and vampires are the good guys, or the bad guys.

They couldn't be more wrong.

Lycanthropes and their blood sucking cousins are generally neutral, unless some kind of incident prompts them to work against or with us. For instance, in 1459, when a young Lycan killed the Bloodmen leader, vampires and werewolves alike rushed to help us, offering their condolences and helping in the search for the wolf.

Yes, werewolves change every full moon. Yes, vampires burn in sunlight, but slowly, and _no _Edward Cullen really doesn't exist.

Answer all your questions?

Good.

By the way, I'm Juliet Silverblood.

And, unfortunatly, what's now classified as the "2005 incident" is not just a terrorist attack, and the only reason the NYC is still standing today is because it took a very, very long battle for my team to save it.


	2. All in a Day's Work

"You think I could rewire the radios to transmit signals farther?"

It's a stupid question to begin with, fired lazily from fifteen-year-old trainee Ryan Goodwick, rocking precariously on the back legs of his chair.

"No, Ryan, I don't think you could." Ian Nichols, age twenty-five, chuckled from across the room. "And even if you _tried,_ you'd need some kind of scientific background. You're reconnaissance track, right, kid?"

"Crush my dreams, why don't you?" Ryan muttered, running a hand through his black hair. "Jake still out gathering our _dear _Inspector?" Jakob Silverblood was out-but then again, he was always out- gathering Inspector Marco Wiles. Each District, every year, was sent an Inspector to check on the team, to see what they need, if they require assistance or even reassignment. Or any thousands of other things.

"Yup." Ian nodded, resting his chin on his palm. "He'll be back soon, I'd imagine. I'm sooo bored." The last sentence was added after a pause, as an afterthought. Ian rapped his fingers on the table before him, leaving finger prints on the dusty surface. _I'll have to clean that…._He thought. _Nah, maybe tomorrow…_

New York City, District four, the fourth most dangerous place on earth, was having a slow night. Sixteen sightings, thirteen of them false, and the three that were true were minor Class One Riots. Juliet Silverblood, Gabriel Knight and Shizue Cascade had been sent out to dispatch the little buggers, and last thing Ian had heard they were heading back.

There was a tap on the window. Ryan yelped, ducking away and drawing his sword. Ian rolled his eyes, peering out the window.

"Hey, Juliet? Let Romeo in." Jake's scruffy face grinned back at him. Ian opened the window. _Oh, shit…._ He thought, examining the long cuts over his friend's eyes.

"What the hell happened to you, man? You look like shit. And why can't you be _normal _and come in through the door?" Ian groaned. "Where's the Inspector?"

"Bastard hex tried to claw my eyes out. The door is locked, and Inspector Wiles is waiting by the door, I told him I'd get it open. This is a second story window and I'm getting tired, you asshat, so please let me in." Jake growled. Ian chuckled, grabbing his friend's sleeve and helping to pull him in. Jake cast a look over at Ryan. "Kid, it's a tap on the window. Chill out."

"Sorry." Ryan cleared his throat. Jake flopped down onto one of the couches.

"So, my dearest and most loved teammates, what I miss?"

"Jules, Gabe and Shizue are on their way back right now…but nothing more, actually. Slow night. Kind of nervous." Ian shrugged. "You see anything on the way back?"

"Ian," Jake rolled his eyes "I was doing a hundred and ten miles an hour and the cops didn't catch me. Even if I thought I saw something, I probably don't remember it."

"Jake?" Ian poked his side lightly. "The inspector?" Jake looked up at him, frowning for a moment before gasping. The Silverblood was gone in an instant, letting out a string of curses as he went. Ian smiled fondly after him. _He's a good guy, whatever the reports might say. _He thought. Ryan looked at him oddly.

"What're you smiling about?"

Ian turned to look at him, cocking an eyebrow. He was smiling for a million reasons; for a million little, minuscule reasons that the kid would never understand.

"He's gonna wake the whole house up." He shrugged.

* * *

Gabriel Knight shifted the weight of his backpack from one shoulder to the other. Just behind him, Juliet Silverblood toyed idly with her sword. And even farther back, Shizue Cascade undid and redid her ponytail. All three were nervous; they'd been heading home when a building had lit into an ominous green-yellow glow. Now, they waited outside for any sign of living creatures inside it. _Oh, God, please not another mundane trying some exorcism…I'm getting _way _to good at those. _Gabriel thought, casting a sidelong look at Juliet.

"Well, Jules? What do you think?" he asked. The woman beside him shrugged, sighing.

"I dunno. It looks like some kind of wacked up exorcism." Juliet raised a hand over her eyes, trying to peer deeper into the house. "We might wanna call Dash; he's the expert."

"Not yet." Shizue shook her head. "No matter how attractive the idea sounds, I promised the him the night off if I'd have Saturday with Harry free."

"Ooh la la." Gabriel teased lightly.+-6

"Shut up." Shizue glared at him. The trio stood still for a few moments, silent, shifting around nervously. And, lo and behold, it started pouring rain.

"Fucking great." Gabriel muttered. "Now what? It's starting to look like we'd be better off letting the bastard get eaten by whatever the hell's in there."

"You are so…gah….I hate you." Juliet rolled her eyes, moving towards the door. Gabriel opened his mouth, leaning forward as though to stop her, then thought better and stalked after her, sword clanking by his side. Juliet turned to glare at him, putting a finger to her lips. He rolled his eyes, shifting the leather holder to a quieter position. Shizue smiled slightly, moving to stand between the two.

"The light's coming from a room on the third floor." She said quietly. Juliet nodded, unsheathing her sword as she went up the stairs in quick, flitting footsteps. It had become a custom, now, for the three of them to fall into that pacing; the two girls and then Gabriel. It was effective, to say the least, since Gabriel couldn't go three feet without looking over his shoulder and Juliet never looked back.

Carefully, slowly, Juliet opened up the door, peering into the eerie glow. A figure sat hunched in the corner, an inhuman form that could've been anything.

"BACK! BACK!" A woman was screaming, waving a broom around in an attempt to hit the creature.

"Not an exorcism?" Gabriel muttered, peering over Juliet's shoulder. The blonde shrugged, leaning on the doorframe.

"It's kinda funny."

"Jules, it is _not _funny!" Shizue threw her hands in the air, glaring at her teammate.

"Oh, what could it hurt? It's not hurting anything!" Juliet held up her hands to ward off Shizue's incoming slap. "Violence is not necessary."

"With you? I'd doubt it." Gabriel chuckled, throwing an arm between the two girls. "Really, ladies, shut up."

"Aren't you supposed to be the _nice _one?" Juliet prodded his arm lightly. _Isn't that right, though? _She thought. _Gabriel's just not acting right…Oh, shit, it's probably his mom. She was sick, right? Oh, shit, shit…wait…No, his mom's fine…God damnit! _She leapt sideways, dodging the broom handle as the woman charged forward, eyes flaring dangerously.

"What the _hell_, lady, we're trying to help!" Shizue snarled, sheathing her sword. _Ah, good old Shizue…never hurt the civilians…._ Juliet thought fleetingly. The shape darted out past them, Gabriel following in that oh-so-intent way of his. Shizue was still battling off the woman. Juliet rolled her eyes, grabbing the other female's shirt and dragging her teammate down the stairs.

"Oh, c'mon, Jules!" Shizue growled, half-heartedly tugging back.

"Gabriel's already got the trail. You remember the _last _time this happened?" Juliet cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you bi-polar?"

"No….now come on." Juliet continued to drag Shizue outside. "God damnit, Gabe, where'd you go…." She sighed, raising one hand to her radio.

"Down here!" A muffled voice called before she'd even pressed the button.

"Dude…." Shizue's eyes widened.

"What?" Gabriel cocked an eyebrow, dragging the shape from an alleyway. "_Somebody _had to do it. What the hell is this, anyway?" Juliet crouched, waving her sword in front of the shape. A bulb shape at the top of it moved.

"I guess that's the head. Oh, Leon's gonna love this one." She muttered. "It moved on four legs…or maybe it's like a primitive human..." She brushed back a lock of loose hair before moving in to look closer. "It definitely has ears…see, it's following the sound of my voice." She prodded it with one finger. "Not slimy. Not a demon." She noted. "I wonder if it has eyes?"

"Everything has eyes, Juliet." Shizue folded her arms, leaning on a nearby wall. "Guy's, seriously, I'm soaked. What the fuck is it?"

"I'm working on that." Juliet glared at her. Gabriel whistled.

"Cat fight."

"Shut up, Gabe." Both females snapped.

* * *

"Sorry, Inspector Wiles…" Jake muttered, throwing open the door. "Ian's upstairs with Ryan, Juliet, Gabriel and Shizue are out right now. Can I get you everything? I mean, anything?" _Oh, smooth, Silverblood. Sucking up to the Inspector. What would Jules say? _He thought, snickering to himself.

"No, ." The Inspector nodded, stepping inside the five-story building. "Funds have been sufficient, I assume?"

"Yes, sir." Jake nodded, standing aside.

"Where is the rest of the team?" The Inspector demanded. Jake frowned.

"Pardon?"

"The _team_, boy. You know those people you live and work with?" The Inspector snapped.

"Asleep, sir."

"Get them up." Jake flinched, and inched away. _Oh, shit…We got an asshole for an Inspector. Leon is _not _gonna be happy. _He thought, taking the stairs two at a time. _Okay…Well, if I wake Leon up first, Jack'll be up by default…and Jack'll try to kill me… so if I get Peter and Arlo up first, then Izzy, and then drag Harry out of his meditation…They'll protect me..I hope. _He paused outside a door on the second floor, knocking lightly on it.

"Arlo? Peter?" He called. "Up, now."

"Go to hell, Jake!" Was the muffled reply.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Inspector Wiles is here, so I suggest you get your lazy asses up." Jake chuckled, moving away from the door just in time for a knife to be thrust where his gut has previously been. "Jesus, Arlo. Moody much?"

"He's in a mood." Peter Nichols, a long time friend of Jake's, laughed from the closet. "God damnit, where's my uniform…."

"Laundry room." A sleepy-eyes Isabel Nightshade opened to the door across the hall, black uniform hanging as she tried to shove on a jacket. "Who turned to air conditioning on?"

"I did." Ian called, jogging past. "Anyone seen Gabriel and the girls? They said they'd be heading back soon." Jake rolled his eyes; Ian, for all his faults, was one of the best at keeping track of everyone. _Probably because he spends so much time shut up in the library with his computers and books and shit. _He thought.

"I'm _not _going downstairs in my underwear." Peter glared at Isabel, who finally gave up on the jacket. "It's upside down, by the way, Iz."

"Shut up." She mumbled. Ryan poked his head around the corner, frowning. _Oh, dear, here it comes…._ Jake thought miserably, waiting for the kid to say he'd lit something on fire or something of the sort.

"You guys are loud." The impending news was cut off by Leon Jackal's very loud entrance, his booming voice jerking the other in the hallway away from their various bickering.

"And some of us hungover." Peter snapped, rubbing his eyes. "How much did you guys let me _drink _yesterday?"

"A lot." Arlo Winchester finally dragged himself out of bed, and Isabel began the sad task of trying to tame his hair.

"Today of all days, boys, really." She tsked. "Inspection time and your all hung-over and a mess."

"It's not technically daytime yet." Clunking boots on the wooden floors signaled the arrival of Harrison Slip.

"Says the vampire." Jake muttered, ducking to avoid the fist thrown at his face. "Why is everyone trying to kill me today?"

"Oh, not everyone." Peter patted his head. "Just most of us." Jake glared at him, batting his hand away. _Oh, my loveable, loveable team. _He thought, proceeding down the hallway. Jason and Brianna Crin were already stumbling out of bed, uniforms wrinkled as they grabbed them off the floor. Jason saluted, further messing up his brown hair, and Brianna tried futilely to drag a brush through her own black locks. Jake waved Jason off as he began to ask a question, heading further down the hall where snores could still be heard. Jake knocked loudly on the door, half ready to be stabbed again.

"Yup?" Alexander Hollow opened the door with a smile.

"Are you high?" Jake eyed him carefully.

"Nope. But our Inspector is one floor beneath us and if he hears us arguing we'd be in seriously deep shit."

"You, Alec, are a one bad dude."

"Tell me something I don't know." Was the clipped response. Alec moved like a shadow, slithering past Jake and to the others down the hall. Jake continued to find Dash Knight, Gabriel's brother and Alec's unspoken partner.

"Hey, Dashy! Up and at 'em, Dash, we gotta go!" Jake called, tapping on the door. No answer. "Dash?" Silence. "_Dash?_"

_Ah, shit…._

* * *

"Okay…So it's got a head, probably ears, and walks like a primitive human or quadruped." Juliet prodded the creature again. "For five hundred dollars, what is it?"

"Old, old, old hex." Gabriel rubbed his eyes, blinking rain away. "We can play this game all night, Jules, but we _do _need sleep."

"And we've got an Inspector coming, don't we?" Shizue threw in.

"You guys!" Juliet said. "_Look_. It's _important _for us to figure out what this thing is."

"You mean like it was _important _for us to throw ourselves into a burning building because you thought you heard a small zombie crying?" Shizue snapped.

"Zombies don't even cry! They don't even reproduce!" Gabriel groaned. "Let's just kill the thing." Juliet sighed, prodding the creature yet again. It made a gurgling sound in the bottom of its would-be stomach. _Oh….It's kinda cute…._ Juliet thought, taking another look at it. _What're you thinking…Jesus, you're turning into a softer version of Jake…without the sarcasm…_She shuddered, unsheathing her sword. The creature cringed away from the sharp edge.

"Sorry about this, whatever you are." Juliet murmured, raising the sword to where the creature's heart _should _be and shoved. Hard.

The sickening crunch, both like and unlike that of human bone, made her shiver. The creature squealed, before falling limp, and disappearing into a small _poof _of green-glowing air.

"All's well that ends well." Gabriel chuckled. "C'mon, Jules, we gotta go."

"Yeah…yeah. Help me up?" she asked. Gabriel rolled his eyes, offering her a hand. Juliet took it gratefully, squeezing his hand in thanks as she got back to her feet.

"All in a day's work, right?" Shizue undid her ponytail for what seemed to Juliet like the ninetieth time, red hair falling over her shoulders in a soaking wet, sticky waterfall.

"Yeah. Let's go home, eh?" Gabriel started forward, leaving the girl's to make the decision themselves.

_All in a day's work…yeah, right. _Juliet thought, following after her teammates.


	3. Old Hexes

Oh, shit, shit, shit….

Jake ran a hand through his hair as he stared around the empty room. _Okay, back up, Silverblood. What did they tell you at the Unit? Analyze first, plan, don't react until you _know _you're in the clear…._ Okay, so the bed was slept in. _He was here last night? Er, earlier tonight? _Nothing was out of its place; Dash, as always, was a neat freak. Not a single thing disturbed. _No struggle? Maybe he was knocked out…_ Jake whistled quietly.

"Yup, I'm screwed." He muttered, turning to head back to the others, down the hall. "Guuuys?" HE drew out the greeting, in hopes of looking exactly like the guilty child he felt like.

"Yup?" Bree, ever the optimist, bounced towards him.

"Anybody seen Dash?" Jake asked. Alec glanced at him, adjusting his uniform jacket. Peter was still struggling with his conscience; go downstairs and look like an idiot in his underwear and risk suspension, or stay up here and fake sickness. Arlo and Isabel were in the process of combing down his wild black hair, while Jason attempted the same with his own dusty-brown locks. Leon and Jack, Alec's brother, were attempting to further straighten their uniforms, pulling at their jackets and running nervous hands through their hair. Leon's light blonde hair, with streaks of grey that still made Jake cringe, was always smoothed into perfection. Jack's dark, muddy-brown, was carefully placed in a casual mess. Gabriel, Juliet and Shizue were still absent. Ian was tugging at the cuffs of his white shirt, and Jake guessed he was feeling freakishly inadequate, in his faded jeans and white dress shirt. Ryan, always the laid-back kid, was the only one standing still.

"Nope." That was the answer from Alec, Dash's roommate. "Last I saw, he was going to bed, about two hours ago."

"He wasn't there when you got up?" Jake frowned.

"It was dark. I thought he was out here." Alec shook his head. "You can't find him?"

"Just play it cool for the time being, all right?" Leon jumped in. "Peter, come up with some medical reason for Dash's absence, make it contagious. No one goes into that room until we find him accept for Alec, and only with a mask to get clothes, okay?"

"For an old guy, you're really fucking smart." Arlo remarked.

"Language." Isabel slapped him.

"Owned." Ian coughed. "Are we really gonna keep the Inspector waiting, guys?" _Good call. I forgot about that. I guess that's why he's the strategist and I'm just a tracker._ Jake thought, chuckling as he followed his team down the stairs to the waiting inspector. Leon paused halfway down, still out of eye sight and ear shot of Wiles.

"Oh, and guys?" The old man asked. "_Please _don't fuck up."

* * *

"Okay, we're fucking lost." Juliet snapped. Gabriel turned to look at her, frowning.

"No, we're not." He said. Shizue paused, shaking her head and once again leaning on a nearby wall. As far as Gabriel knew, they'd been heading back the way they'd come, towards home base and hadn't taken any wrong turns. Juliet, in his _humble _opinion, was simply pissed because of their little spat.

"It shouldn't take us half an hour to get home. Gimme the map." Juliet snagged hit from his hands. After a moment she said, "Gabriel?"

"Yes, _Julie?_" he rolled his eyes.

"_We're going the fucking wrong way!_" she yelled. "We should've gone left on 49th. We went right. C'mon. If we go right up ahead we'll be back on track." She growled, trudging forward. Her hair had come out of its ponytail, slicking itself to her head and neck. Shizue shot a glance at Gabriel as she followed Juliet. The Knight was silently kicking himself; he'd never been good with maps.

"Right, then." Gabriel cleared his throat. "Let's go."

"Oh, we will." Juliet glared at him.

"Touchy, touchy." Shizue hummed, setting off at a run. Juliet raised a hand to call after her, probably planning on saying she should slow down; it _was _New York, after all, and she could get hit by a car or something of the sort. And then Leon would be pissed.

A pissed Leon is a pissed team.

"Is that Dash?" Gabriel asked abruptly.

"Dash is back at base." Juliet chorused in a sing-song voice. "You're hallucinating."

"It's rainy. I can't see well. But I _can _distinguish my own brother, as I'm sure you can Jake." Gabriel snapped. "That's definitely him."

"Then go check it out. We'll wait here." Shizue nodded. Gabriel sprinted off towards the shape; the shape did, admittedly, look like Dash.

"Think it's actually him?" Juliet asked.

"Nope. But, you know…If he is out, he might need help. And he _is _our teammate." Shizue shrugged.

"Did you just _actually _indulge Gabriel's impulse?"

"Maybe." Shizue grinned. Juliet smiled softly; these were the kinds of moments that made standing in the rain on a rooftop, getting stabbed in the gut in pitch blackness, and ending up in the medical area that passed for a hospital back at base all worthwhile.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually starting to LIKE our temporary partner." Juliet prodded her side.

"Hey, temporary is temporary. He'll be back with Jake by tomorrow…later today." Shizue chuckled.

"Gabe!" Juliet yelled above the traffic. "Well?"

"Yeah, no need to use these nifty little radios." Gabriel snorted, the radio attached to Juliet's thigh quivering as it was used. "And yes, it is him. And he's drunk. Wonderful, right?"

"You need help?" Juliet asked.

"Nah, I'm good. You guys head on back, we're right behind you."

* * *

Benjamin Howard _hated _subways. Ever since he was little, growing up in District ninety-eight, Chesapeake, Virginia, with his parents, he'd hated them.

So, what spurred him to go to District Four with Lawrence Green?

Larry's idiotic idea that District Four was in danger. And apparently "the best hot dogs IN THE WORLD!", but that was beside the point.

So, Ben had packed his bags and left District Seven, Truckee, California , and headed to New York, New York.

And that meant subways. Lots of them.

"Larry." Ben groaned. "I'm gonna puke."

"No, you're not." Lawrence Green, also known as Larry, was based in District Eight, Dallas, Texas.

And he thought that subways were the best-not to mention fastest, which Ben would begrudgingly agree to- way to travel.

"Larry…" Ben warned as the train lurched to a gut-clenching stop. "I mean it…." Larry looked up from his newspapers to stare at his friend. Ben was green in the face, in the metaphorical sense. In the literal sense, the young Howard's face was pale and sweaty. Paler than usual, which was saying something.

"Oh. Shit. Need a bag?" Larry asked.

"Yes!" Ben muttered, ducking his head away from the stares of the other passengers. Larry looked around frantically.

"Anybody got a bag? Ma'am, can I…no, okay..Sir, may I..No…" Larry called desperately as the train lurched into motion.

"Thirty years old and still nauseous on subways. This is really sad…" Ben groaned. "I can take down a horde of vicious zombies, but I can't handle a subway!"

"Our stop is next, anyway." Larry patted his friend's head. _Like I'm a cat or something. _Ben thought, amused. "Hang on for five minutes, and then barf in a trashcan."

"Yeah, sure…." Ben muttered. The subway zoomed around a corner. Ben groaned. "Damn you, technological advances!" People were REALLY staring now, some amused, some angry, some passive. Parent's covered their children's ears at the string of curses from the dark-haired Bloodman as yet another corner was rounded. Larry sighed.

"Sorry, everyone." He apologized, half-dragging Ben to the exit. "Sorry, sorry, sorry…" Ben gagged. Larry shoved past a woman with a baby; the baby wailed. "Sorry!" The woman glared, then looked at Ben.

"I see." She said. "Go, go, go!" Larry smiled, nodding to her.

"You are an AWESOME lady." Ben slurred.

"Benjamin!" Larry continued dragging his friend. Once out of the railcar, Ben staggered to the nearest garbage can, proceeding to empty his stomach.

"Oh, that's nasty." He muttered. Larry chuckled.

"C'mon, Ben, we're gonna be too late." Larry was practically bouncing in place. Ben wiped his mouth on his sleeve, green eyes glaring at his old friend over the black can.

"Fuck you." He said simply, walking away.

* * *

Juliet opened the door to the base quickly, only stopping to shrug off her wet jacket and untie her shoes. Shizue did the same.

"Welcome back, girls." Leon called, entering the main room. "Where's Gabriel?"

"With Dash. Bringing him home. Apparently _somebody, _I'm not going to point fingers, let him into the alcohol stash. He got wasted and started wandering around." Shizue shrugged. Juliet nodded.

"I gotta talk to Ian, he still upstairs?" Juliet asked, one hand on the handrail, one foot on the first step.

"Ah…About that…" Leon lowered his voice. "We've got an Inspector, Jake brought him in after you left. Go upstairs and change into dry clothes, dry off, and make _sure _you're in regulation uniform." He said. Juliet mock-saluted, heading upstairs with Shizue directly behind her. The duo entered their shared room, and Juliet immediately threw on her regulation uniform.

"I haven't worn this thing in months." She muttered, tugging on the jacket. Shizue laughed, frantically trying to dry her hair.

"Yes, yes, _Captain_, it's such a pain being a high-ranking female who's never called in for Council meetings." She said. Juliet snatched a towel from the rack, briskly swooping it over her hair.

"It is, really. Not to mention there are three captains on this team." She shrugged, re-tying her ponytail. "Ah, much better." Shizue's own red hair was still far from dry.

"Forget it." Shizue muttered, tying her hair into a bun, hoping to keep it from dripping. Juliet tossed Shizue her own uniform, the off-white badge on the jacket signifying Shizue's rank, level eight. Juliet's badge was a dark red, a color badge she shared with Ian and Jake.

"I'll leave you too it, then." Juliet nodded sharply, hair swishing slightly as she turned sharply and darted downstairs. The rest of the team was trying desperately to appear relaxed, all in their uniforms accept for Ian, who had simply shrugged on his jacket over a white dress shirt and jeans. Mary Diggs, the resident "Mother Theresa" was fixing coffee and some kind of meat-stew thing.

"Look whose back." Her brother lifted a hand in greeting. Juliet smiled, hoisting herself onto the counter.

"Where's our Inspector and who'd we get?" She asked. Ian sighed.

"Off looking for the bathroom. Wiles. And no, I don't think it's legal for us to "accidentally" send him into a class four outbreak." He answered.

"Ouch, Ian. You wound me. I wasn't going to…" Juliet stopped at the looks from the others, mainly Arlo, who was giving her the death glare. "Okay, maybe I was." Jake chuckled.

"That's my sister…" he mumbled. Ian thwacked the back of his head with a rolled-up newspaper. "Ow! The hell is wrong with you?" Jake snapped. Ian shrugged, looking away. Peter turned away, presumably hiding a smile. Mary just rolled her eyes and tugged Juliet's sleeve. The blonde turned to her.

"Yup?" She asked.

"Look, Juliet, you're the only female captain here, and….well, I know that Wiles has never been particularly encouraging about girl's being out in the field at all. He's mean, and he's powerful, so just….be careful, please. And keep the…well, this is going to sound bad, but keep the you-ness to a minimum." Mary said awkwardly. "I'm only saying this because I care about you and I don't want you to get hurt." The boys, and Isabel, were all staring at the two from the table. Jake had his fists clenched slightly. Ian tensed as Juliet sucked in a breath.

"Thanks, Mary." The blonde Silverblood smiled easily. "I'll do that." The group relaxed; Mary, for all her motherly helpfulness, was clueless to the actual problems of the others. She was a pity assignment, really, put there only because her father was on the Council.

"Bi-i-i-tch." Jake chorused under his breath. Ian chuckled quietly. Juliet hopped off the counter and sat next to Ian, sighing.

"So, guys, we saw something tonight-" She started. She was cut off by the door blowing open, and Gabriel dragging a staggering Dash inside.

"There's my partner…" Both Alec and Jake muttered, jumping up. Gabriel's eyes were darker then they'd been the half hour before, Juliet noticed, and when Alec took Dash off his hands and took him upstairs, he wavered slightly.

"You all right, Gabe?" she stood up. Bree and Jason looked up from their mugs-Jason, black coffee, Bree, hot chocolate, and how Juliet knew that she shrugged off as knowing _way _to much about her team. Peter's chair skittered back as he jumped forward, years of medical training kicking in as he joined Jake by Gabriel's side. Gabriel waved them off.

"I'm fine." He mumbled. "Thought I saw something…" Jake frowned.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Gabe." He prodded his partner's side. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Gabriel's eyes brightened. "See? Ooooh, coffee." He veered off to the kitchen. Peter kept a wary eye on him, nudging Jake under the table, silently telling him to do the same.

"Well, now that we're all home safe and sound… I saw something tonight…" Juliet started again. Boots clunked down the hall.

"Something wicked this way comes." Jack huffed. Leon slapped his partner's head.

"He's right." Ian muttered. Shizue skittered nervously downstairs, sliding into a chair after grabbing a large mug of coffee. Isabel waved a hand.

"Welcome to the party." The Nightshade muttered. Juliet quickly, quietly explained the situation to Shizue and Gabriel. Ian kicked her leg, holding a finger to his lips.

"Sh…" he hissed. Wiles entered, bright blue badge harsh against his outfit of choice- a non-regulation three-piece-suit and tie.

"Inspector." Leon stood up. "As I'm sure you've heard, Dash Knight is upstairs, sick. This is…" Wiles held up a hand.

"I know the speech, Mr. Jackal. This is your team. Then you babble about statistics. Now, care to introduce us?" Wiles asked. Leon looked taken aback. It unsettled Juliet to see their oh-so-fearless leader shocked, almost frightened. Leon steeled himself, clearing his throat.

"Right. Commander Jackson Hollow, my second, command and defense/offense. Captain Jacob Silverblood, command and defense/offense. Captain Juliet Silverblood, command, science, strategy and reconnaissance. Captain Ian Nichols, strategy, reconnaissance, science and command. Level Nine Arlo Winchester, defense/offense. Level Nine Isabel Nightshade, defense/offense and reconnaissance. Level Nine Gabriel Knight, science, defense/offense and command. Level Nine Dash Knight, not currently with us, defense/offense and command. Level Eight Alexander Hollow, defense/offense. Level Eight Shizue Cascade, reconnaissance, command and defense/offense. Level Seven Jason Crin, defense/offense. Level Six Brianna Crin, defense/offense and science. Level One Marianne Diggs, no track. Dr. Peter Nichols, Medical Science. Trainee Ryan Goodwick, reconnaissance." Leon delivered the names icily, with a cold composure Juliet had only even seen during their first Council meeting as a team. There was an unspoken, _so hah!_ At the end of Leon's introductions.

"I was under the impression Captain Silverblood the elder had been transferred." Wiles' eyes glittered, in that _try me. I dare you._ Way that Juliet had seen thousands of times in Jake's own eyes. Now, her brother was sinking into his chair, eyes low. Gabriel glanced at him from across the table, leaning forward once, then shaking himself and leaning back.

"That was a paperwork malfunction. You know how touchy the machines are, especially human made ones." Leon smiled. It was a small smile, meant to break the ice. Juliet sighed; no one could resist the old man's charm.

Well, no one accept for Marco Wiles.

"I'll have to ask you to refrain from insulting the objects of our protection." Wiles spat. Leon sighed, shooting a look at his team that clearly said, _Who the hell does this guy think he is?_ Mary flounced in.

"Hello, Inspector. Would you like some coffee?" she batted her eyes. No joke, she actually batted her eyelashes.

"If anything can save us, it'll be Mary's baby blues." Juliet whispered to Ian, who chuckled quietly. Wiles whipped to glare at them.

"I do hope to hear the joke, Captain Silverblood, Captain Nichols." He growled. Ian stiffened beside her.

"Coffee, Inspector?" Mary repeated.

"Yes, Marianne, that'd be wonderful." Wiles' hard stare never left Juliet and Ian. She bit her lip. Isabel kicked her, an obvious, _say something, idiot!_

"I…we…" Juliet stammered.

"I…we…could be risking suspension!" Wiles snarled.

"Inspector, sir…I don't think that'll be necessary." Leon cut in smoothly. "They're really only children, sir…Very accomplished children, but their young!" Ryan snorted. Arlo glared at him.

"I've never wanted to be near a razor so bad in my life." Jake muttered.

* * *

After that horrifying meeting, Ian ditched to the roof. For the past few years, the roof of the building had been something of a haven; it was bright, but if he used a powerful enough telescope and peered hard enough, he could just make out the stars. As far as he knew, the others were unaware of his disappearances; _maybe _Leon knew, but he was his Commander, so he knew everything. So Ian flopped down lazily with his laser pointer and telescope, content to his star gazing for the rest of the night. Maybe he'd watch the sun come up. Yeah, that'd be nice…Head down early, make some breakfast and coffee, then hide out in his lab or the library.

"You've really got to find a new hiding spot." The trapdoor swung open, and Juliet leaned on the ledge by the opening, resting her head on crossed arms. "Or at least better ways to hide that you're up here."

"Pardon?" Ian cocked an eyebrow, shifting to look at her.

"Well, the door slams shut, and open. And the stairs creak. Both giveaways. And, when you're stressed, you head for high ground." She shrugged, climbing up and closing the door. _Boom! _Okay, so maybe the door did slam.

"I do _not _head for-" He started.

"Ian, I've known you since we were both first years in the Unit. You flunked a test, the teacher's would find you on the roof. You miss a shot, you hit the top of the trees. You like cliffs, for God's sake!" She chuckled. "I figured you'd be up here, if only because Ryan's in the library and Wiles is in the lab."

"We've obviously worked together way to long." He muttered, laughing.

"Yup." She folded her legs. "What're the odds of getting Wiles up here and pushing him off?" She asked after a moment of silence. Ian shrugged.

"No idea."

"Wanna find out?"

"No, Jules. No."

* * *

"Gabe." _Poke. _"Gabe."_ Prod. _"Gabe." _Jab. _"You alive?" Jake cocked his head to the side, staring at his partner, who sat, perfectly still, in the same spot he was during to meeting. The other's had long since retired to bed, though Jake had heard snippets of conversation from the roof, probably from Ian and Juliet. Now, he'd come to collect his partner and hopefully get him to sleep. Gabriel mumbled something.

"Care to repeat, mi amigo?" Jake sighed.

"I said: go to hell, Jake." Gabriel snapped. Jake cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, shit…sorry…Long day, long night. No sleep. Coffee tastes like shit. Saw some weird….hex….thing…" Gabriel trailed off.

"Jules was trying to say something, about what you guys saw earlier." Jake said slowly. "What was it?"

"It was like a hex, but…it was almost _human._ It walked like an ape, but it was made of shadow. Like a hex. It obviously had a head, and eyes, and ears…but it was scared of us, not defiant or even angry. It was like a…it was the Mary of hexes." Gabriel shrugged, taking another swig of coffee. "I knew I never should've let Mary make my coffee…" he muttered, trudging to the kitchen and emptying out the mug. Jake leaned on the counter, frowning.

"Sounds like a _sort vieux, mourant._" At Gabriel's confused look, he sighed. "Old, dying hex. Where the hell were you on foreign language day?"

"Some of us weren't raised in Paris, Jake." Gabriel chuckled.

"_Texas_. Paris, _Texas. _District One-Oh-Eight!" Jake snorted. "Anyway, old, dying hex. Nothing more, nothing less. No big deal... Unless it, you know, was glowing green. Then…" he whistled. "Then we'd be in seriously deep shit. 'Night, Gabe. See you in…two and a half hours." He trudged upstairs.

* * *

"Harry." Gabriel tapped on the vampire's door. "_Harry!_"

"What?" The door flung open. The shades were drawn, the room darkened. The light from the hallway glinted off of Harry's extended fangs. "It's almost morning, man!"

"Sorry, but it's important." Gabriel flexed his fingers. "You know book on hexes that I _know _you have, so don't deny it?"

"Yes, Gabriel." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Can I borrow it?" Gabriel asked. Harry sighed, retreating into a corner. There was a great amount of shuffling, a frustrated hiss, and then the book was thrown-quite violently- into Gabriel's hands.

"There! Now get out!" Harry slammed the door.

"Thanks!" Gabriel muttered, immediately flipping through the pages.

And then the building across the road exploded.


	4. Trouble

The first thing Juliet noticed was that the cars below were swerving desperately. Then, the fact that the building hadn't _exploded _so much as _gone down in a fiery crash. _

"Well, this could be a bit of a problem." She muttered. Ian nodded, silent. "You alive there, buddy?"

"I remember reading something about this….it was a couple years ago, a demonology book, by Roxanne Nightingale." Ian shrugged. "Never mind."

"We should probably check it out, shouldn't we?" Juliet sighed. _Please say no, please say no…._

"Probably." _Damn. _"Let's check with Leon first, check the news, figure out exactly what the hell is going on here." The door slammed open, slammed shut, and the stairs creaked as two sets of anxious feet skittered down. Peter had-somehow- managed to get out of his uniform and was already in a lab coat, flittering around the medical room, adjusting this, fixing that. Juliet paused.

"You see anything up there?" Peter asked without looking up.

"You'd think we would've, right?" Juliet chuckled. "Let's just hope it was nothing demonic this time."

"You say _this time _like there was a _last time_." Peter frowned.

"Las Vegas, in 2000. I'll tell you later!" she called, already heading downstairs. The sleeping quarters were empty; accept for Dash, who still lay puking his guts out. The kitchen was crowded, the entirety of the team huddled around the television on the counter.

"Where the hell were you?" Jake snapped. Juliet held up her hands defensively.

"Down, boy. On the roof. And no, we did not see anything, so don't ask." Juliet sighed, shuffling in between Shizue and Ryan to see the newscaster; the young blonde was trying to look solemn, but obviously years of smiling through all the happy-go-lucky news was coming back to bite her.

_"In other news, an abandoned apartment complex has literally _imploded _on East 47th. Law enforcement and fire department are on their way to hopefully rescue anyone caught in the fallout…_" she trailed off as Leon turned to volume down.

"In other news, I'm quite obviously a slut who really needs a new job because I'm _smiling at the end of the world!_" Ryan spat. The others turned to stare at him.

"Somebody's cranky." Arlo commented.

"This is going to seem really stupid to ask right now, but….." Juliet raised a hand slowly. "What about the Inspector?"

"I've got Wiles up in a guestroom. _Hopefully _he'll stay there." Leon shook his head. "What do you guys think this'd rank as?"

"Minor Class Seven Outbreak." Ian cut in. "Textbook definition. Human law enforcement will probably take care of the fire, and we can check the sensors for anything afterword." Shizue was already at the computer screen, Juliet peering over her shoulder.

"Guys?" Shizue looked up. "We might have a bit of a problem."

* * *

Ben handed over a ten-dollar bill and a bag of chips, as well as two waters, to the clerk at the 7-11.

"My brother's homeless." The man said, obviously distraught.

"That's rough." Ben bounced on his heels.

"Last time we talked he said he found an abandoned apartment to stay in." The man was growing more anxious by the second.

"Uh-huh…."

"The whole state should shut down just out of respect..." The man mumbled. Ben's head shot up.

"What?" he snapped.

"_Dude_, really? Do you _not _know what just _happened _to us?" The man-his nametag read _Joe_- frowned. "They're calling it a miss-placed bomb. Either a bad joke or a screwed up terrorist attack." Ben grabbed the food, waters, and threw down an extra ten.

"Give that to your brother!" he yelled over his shoulder, walking as fast as he dared out of the store. _I guess Larry was right. _He thought.

"Ben!" Larry waved his hand from across the lot. "Did you hear about the…"

"Apartment complex? Yeah." Ben handed him a water bottle. "Now that I'm completely coherent, let's go talk to the District Four team, eh?"

"There's just one problem, Benito…" Larry grinned nervously. "I maybe sorta-kinda forgot to get us a car." _Smack._ Ben's hand connected with the back of Larry's head.

"You _idiot! _You fucking _idiot!_" He roared. Larry swatted the next slap away, cringing. "No car, my funds aren't gonna last forever, and this is the _worst fucking attack _Salem!"

"I like how you bring up something that happened over a hundred years ago. And just because it's starting out the same does not mean-" But Ben was already stalking away, jumping nervously as each car horn blared.

"Now who's the fucking idiot…?"

* * *

_Bleep. Bleep. Bleepbleepbleepbleep…._ Green spots were jumping erratically around on the screen; Ian flinched.

"That's not good." Jake whistled. Ian snorted.

"No shit, Sherlock." He spat. "So, I see the problem here, but exactly how do we fix it? I highly doubt that we're prepared for this." Ian's words were met with silence. "Oh, that's nice, guys. I'm gonna go call my mother." He nodded. Leon cleared his throat.

"I'm not sure-" Leon started. Ian didn't turn around, just gave a low grumble and continued to stalk downstairs. Ryan's footsteps echoed behind him; _is he even trying to be quiet? _Ian thought, sliding into a chair in the library. Books lay splayed open on the table in front of him.

"Boo?" Ryan tried lamely, poking Ian's shoulder.

"If you're going to try to follow me, at least be quiet." Ian sighed. There was a long silence. Ryan shifted restlessly, looking like he was in between throwing up and running away.

"How bad is it?" Ryan asked finally. Ian looked at him and shrugged. "You don't know?"

"Oh, I know how bad it is. I'm just not sure you want to." Ian swatted his head. "But it's bad, definitely." Ryan flopped into a chair beside Ian, propping his elbow up on the table and leaning his head on his palm.

"How bad?" He repeated.

"Take a guess." Ian was up and moving again, trailing his fingers along book spines. "Nightingale…Nightingale…" he muttered.

"Class Eight Outbreak?" Ryan threw out.

"Close, but no cigar." Ian shook his head. "Ah, here we go." He snatched a book from the shelf. _Where was it again…._ He thought, returning to his seat and flipping through pages.

"Ian!" Ryan complained, for once sounding exactly like the fifteen-year-old boy he was. "Just _tell _me." Ian continued flipping pages. Ryan groaned. "Should I just ask Juliet?"

"She won't tell you either." Ian shrugged. "Partly because I _think _I can hear her arguing with Wiles and partly because she, like me, just doesn't like what's going on." Ryan groaned.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!" Ian snapped, glancing up. Ryan flinched away from the angry glare. "Just get out, okay?" Ryan opened his mouth to say something-probably a stupid retort- but Ian cut him off. "Get some sleep. It's four in the morning and you've been up all night."

"So have you." Ryan said.

"I've been chugging coffee by the gallon. Check on Dash and Harry for me!" Ian called as Ryan slunk out of the room. "Right…Where was I…?" The library was silent for the next few minutes, the turning of pages the only sound coming from the room itself. Upstairs, on the main level, Ian could hear the smooth, calm voice of Leon, the rise and fall of Jake's anxious voice, and the oh-so condescending, spiteful voice of the Inspector. Every now and then, he'd hear Juliet's voice leap out.

_Where _is _it? _Ian thought, turning the page to the last chapter. _It was this book, I'm sure of it! _

"Demonology book?" Ian snapped his head up at the voice from the bottom of the stairwell. Isabel stood leaning against the doorway, having changed out of her uniform and into a dark brown tee-shirt and jeans.

"Yeah. Didn't I _just _send Ryan out of here?" Ian cocked an eyebrow. "You should be sleeping."

"We all should be, but generally when an attack hits this close to home, we get nervous." She grinned. "Are you planning on going to bed any time soon?"

"Nah. Tonight was supposed to be my watch anyway…." Ian shook his head. "And I'm a little terrified of treading through the war zone that is our main floor."

"Jake's getting it pretty bad for the paperwork fuck up on his transfer; as far as I know, Jules is waiting her turn on death's row." Isabel chuckled. "Leon's playing referee, but unless he magically got a promotion to Chief, he's just putting a lid on a boiling pot."

"Ironic how the Inspector just _has _to come when our sensors are going haywire and we're losing our fucking minds over something that may or may not have been specifically targeted at us." Ian muttered. "You all right there, Izzy?" He prodded.

"I keep thinking about what happened in 2000, in Vegas. You remember, right?" Isabel asked. Ian nodded. "We thought it would be fine then, too."

"Vegas was five years, three partners and a reassignment ago. This is _not _Vegas and Leon isn't Eli." Ian snapped. "Besides, we were practically still kids then; Juliet and Jake were nineteen, I was barely twenty, and Leon..Okay, Leon was still an old, cranky man, but a younger old, cranky man." Isabel chuckled.

"Why demonology?"

"Hmm?"

"You're researching a demonology book two and a half hours after an explosion at six in the morning. Why demonology?" Isabel asked. Ian shrugged.

"After the explosion, I remembered something about I read. Ironically, I read it in Vegas, just before _that _particular incident." He explained. "I didn't want to tell Ryan, but…I'm pretty sure we're dealing with something similar."

"But not exactly the same?" Isabel frowned.

"No." Ian shook his head. "This is…" He stopped, staring behind Isabel's shoulder, at a hunched-over Jake. "You all right?" Ian asked, pushing back from the table. Isabel turned and also stared.

"Bastard fired me." Jake muttered. "I get my eyes almost clawed out bringing him here, and he fucking _fires _me."

"He can't do that." Ian stood up, shoving past Isabel in the doorway to stand before Jake. "There's a couple hours of paperwork, Leon needs to sign the form, Juliet and I need to give a testimony, there needs to be a trial….A meeting…something." Jake smiled bitterly.

"I fucked up in Vegas. I fucked up really bad. Leon protected me then; Wiles is making sure that's not happening. You protected me in the aftermath; Gabriel protected me where you couldn't… Wiles is shutting down every option." Jake shook his head. "Unless by some miracle Wiles changes his mind, or Leon pulls through with the Council, I'm out of here this afternoon."

"No reassignment?" Isabel asked.

"Juliet's working on that." Jake sighed. "I _might _be able to get District Eighty. If I'm lucky." _Fucking hell…_ Ian thought. _Wiles can't do this. Not legally. Not…_

_Wait. _

"District Eighty is back home." Ian frowned. "They're putting you on _guard duty_?"

"If I'm _lucky._" Jake repeated. "Gabe's gonna kill me."

"Oh, most definitely." Isabel chuckled. "You should probably get some sleep, before Gabriel start's grilling you on it."

"Couldn't sleep if I tried. Anyway, that's not the only reason I'm down here." Jake shifted nervously. "It's about Vegas."

* * *

"I'm not letting you take one of my men and just…_throw him out _like that!" Leon snapped. Juliet stared down at her hands. She should've been the one talking right now; she'd taken the role, after all. She did the paperwork with Ian, ran patrols…

She was the perfect little soldier, and she couldn't say a word to defend her twin.

"His transfer was always a problem. Ever since Las Vegas, he's been a problem!" Wiles snarled. "I'd be shocked if what happened five years ago didn't happen now!"

"Vegas was a mistake. We made wrong guesses. It happens." Leon shook his head. _You're wrong there, Leon. _Juliet thought. _Vegas was a series of bad choices, nearly all of them made by Ian, Jake and I. _

"…wouldn't feel better if his partner _hadn't _died." Juliet's head snapped up at Wiles' statement.

"That wasn't his fault!" She snarled at Wiles. "Blake screwed up his part in that plan; it didn't have anything to do with Jake!"

"It _was _his plan, was it not?" Wiles looked at her. Juliet sighed, shifting her weight nervously.

"As I'm sure Captain Nichols will tell you, it was a risky plan to begin with. I took out most of the risks in the beginning, Jake worked with what he had…There are some things you can't _fix_." She muttered. "Blake was in a downward spiral before that incident. And you're wasting time with this conversation, time we could be using to figure out what's going on with the sensors and why we're not out side looking for answers, I don't know. But _please_, Inspector, reconsider. I'd highly doubt this team would be what it is if we didn't have my asshole of a brother dogging us every step of the way."

* * *

"We're screwed, we're screwed, we're screwed!" Ben muttered, stalking the New York streets with his shoulders hunched. Larry was several feet behind him, casting sideways glances at the black, crouching shapes in alleys, giving off particularly _distasteful _odors.

"Ben…" He started. Ben ignored him, just continued to mumble about being stranded in New York with their teams believing they were each visiting each other. "Ben…" Larry tried again.

"_What_?" Ben whipped around. "I'm pissed at you! Stop trying to talk to me!"

"One, you're an idiot. B, I think District Four might be in a bit of trouble." Larry pointed to the shapes now on tops of buildings, flitting amongst the crowds of people, and still tucked into corners.

"No shit." Ben breathed.

"Oh, and I…uh…got an address…." Larry unfolded a piece of paper. "You know, where there base is." Larry swore he saw Ben's eye twitch.

"You…you…You know what? Never mind. Lead the way." Ben took a deep breath, steadying himself. Larry smiled, jogging on ahead. Ben followed, and after a few minutes the two were flat-out sprinting, dodging and shoving past people in their rush to reach the base.

"Here we are." Larry panted, skittering to a halt. The building was large, maybe five stories. Lights were on, and from the third floor the sound of a television was blaring. Loud voices came from the main level. "I guess this isn't the best time…"

"No. You dragged me here, so I'll be _damned_, if I'm waiting outside, in the cold, for another day!" Ben snapped, shoving past him to the front door and knocking loudly. The voices stopped abruptly.

"Captain, answer it." A harsh, male voice, sounding oddly like Marco Wiles. Ben shuddered at the memory of his first encounter with the Inspector.

"I…." A female voice.

"Do as he says, Juliet, and you may save your career." A softer, older voice, like a kindly old grandfather. Soft footsteps.

"Who is it?" The door wasn't opening; so their security was up, Larry noted.

"Lawrence Green and Benjamin Howard." Larry said quickly. The girl on the other side sighed.

"District?"

"Eight and seven, respectively."

"Credentials?"

"Open the door and we'll show you."

"Slide 'em through." The door opened a crack, and a hand slid just slightly out. Ben shrugged, clipping off his badge and handing it over. Larry did the same.

"Exactly what're two Executive Commanders doing here?" the hand slipped back out, the badges resting lightly on the palm.

"Open the door." Larry quipped. The door opened the rest of the way. A blonde woman stood in the doorway, eyes low. She couldn't have been more than twenty four, but the sharp gleam of the red badge on her shoulder claimed she was a Captain.

"Go on, then." She mumbled, opening her hand out and pointing into the building. Larry walked in but Ben…

Ben _strutted_.

* * *

"What about Vegas?" Ian folded his arms. "Okay, wait, get in the library, we'll talk there. I'll go get some coffee." He headed for the stairs. Jake snagged Ian's arm.

"Ian," he murmured, "something's wrong..."

"What?" Ian leaned closer. Isabel frowned at them, unable to hear what they were saying.

"I don't know…Just…Something..." Jake's face was stricken, panicky. "It's like my gut is telling me to get out of town, but my heart is telling me I can't."

"You're just paranoid." Ian flicked the side of Jake's head lightly. "You hit your head? Go see Peter."

"It's not _that_…" Jake started. Ian sighed, clapping one hand onto Jake's shoulder.

"We're fine. Vegas was a long time ago. I'll be back down to talk about it in a second." Ian promised. "You need anything?"

"No." Jake shook his head. _You don't _get _it. _He thought, staring after Ian as his friend went upstairs.

They never finished that conversation.


End file.
